Holders Real Madrid eased past Chelsea to reach yet another Champions League semifinal while the bigger shock came in the second game with AC Milan eliminating their Serie A counterparts Napoli from the competition.
Chelsea no match for Real Madrid:
A 2-0 deficit from the first leg and an awful domestic form meant that supporters at Stamford Bridge had little hope of a miracle which proved to be true.
With Madrid happy to sit back, Chelsea managed to create a few decent chances in the opening half with Marc Cucurella forcing a save out of Thibaut Courtois being their best chance to make inroads.
The visitors eventually grew into the game with Rodrygo finishing off a swift counterattack in the 58th minute to put the tie to bed. The Brazilian would then make sure of the result in the 80th minute after being set up by Federico Valverde for the game’s final goal.
Carlo Ancelotti’s side will face a tougher test in the next round with Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City their likely opponent.
AC Milan stun Napoli:
While Madrid’s result was never in doubt, all eyes were fixated on Naples where many expected the runaway Serie A leaders Napoli to overturn a 1-0 first-leg deficit against their Italian counterparts.
That did not come to pass as Milan managed to secure a 1-1 draw to complete a 2-1 win on aggregate to make their first Champions League semifinal in 16 years.
The draw looked out of the cards in the beginning as Napoli laid siege to Milan’s goal with Mike Maignan keeping his side in the contest with some incredible saves.
Olivier Giroud had the chance to double Milan’s lead from the penalty spot in the 20th minute but was denied by Alex Meret. The Frenchman would make amends in the 43rd minute when Rafael Leao found him after a surging run from his own half and the striker easily shot into an empty net to put Milan in control of the tie.
The Serie A leaders did not go down easily as Khvicha Kvaratskhelia had the chance to draw them level from the penalty spot before his shot was saved by Maignan.
The Georgian missed a couple of more chances before Victor Osimhen finally headed in their first goal in the dying stages but the time ran out for the first-time Champions League quarterfinalist to get anything more.
AC Milan awaits the winners of Benfica vs Inter Milan in the semifinals while Napoli will turn its attention to winning its first Scudetto in over 30 years.
